Device for feeding a package receiver

ABSTRACT

A device for feeding a package receiver and includes a crank arm pivotal or rotatable about a first axis by a first motor. A second axis is provided at the distal end of the crank arm, whereat the second axis supports the package receiver for pivotal or rotatable movement relative to the crank arm. A second motor is provided for the purpose of pivoting or rotating the package receiver about the crank arm. The two motors are separately controlled. Such a device can be fed with packages selectively from one side or from above.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a device for feeding a package receiver.The package receiver is intended to receive several packages which aremoved one above the other or side-by-side into the package receiver inorder to form a stack in the receiver. This stack is then fed to anouter packaging, for example, a box. When several stacks are placed intoa box, then several rows of stacks or bundles are arranged in the box sothat the box is filled as compactly as possible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In a conventional device, a chute serving as the package receiveris filled with bags (or packages) from above by means of a conveyorbelt. When the chute is full, thus has been fed completely withsuperposed bags, it is pivoted at 90° into the horizontal. The stack ofupright positioned bags is thereafter removed from the chute and ismoved into a box.

[0003] This known device has the disadvantage that it can only be fedfrom above with superposed packages. This is indeed sufficient in orderto create a stack, however, not for a direct filling of a box withside-by-side standing bags. For an intended filling of a box with bags,which stand upright side-by-side in the box, it is necessary to alignthe opening into the box to the side and to place the bags one on top ofthe other so that the bags stand side-by-side when the box is placedupright on its base.

[0004] The basic purpose of the invention is to provide a device forfeeding a package receiver in such a manner that the package receiver issuited for a filling from above and from the side.

[0005] The inventive device provides a crank arm which is pivotal orrotatable about an axis by means of a first motor, whereby a second axisis provided at the outer end of the crank, with which second axis thepackage receiver is pivotally or rotatably connected. A second motor isprovided for the purpose of pivoting or rotating the package receiverrelative to the crank arm. The two motors are separately controlled.

[0006] The inventive device serves on the one hand to prepare thepackage receiver, into which is to be inserted a container, a box or acassette, so that the package receiver can be fed with packagesselectively from the side or from above. The package receiver isfastened on the crank arm so that it can move on a circular path whilemaintaining its base horizontally aligned and in such a manner that thepackage receiver can deliver the bundles of packages in horizontalalignment (with the fill opening on top), and can be preparedselectively with the fill opening on the side or on the top in a fillingstation, whereat the package receiver is to be supplied with packages.On the other hand, it is possible to fill the package receiver directly,either laterally or from above. Whereas the first motor is used torotate the crank arm, the package receiver is pivoted or rotatedrelative to the crank arm by means of the second motor in order toobtain a specific alignment at a specific location. This is accomplishedby a separate control of the motors.

[0007] When the device is provided as a transport device at a fillingposition, whereat the package receiver is filled at the fillingposition, the package receiver is then pivoted toward a crank positionwhereat the package receiver is emptied, then the device also serves thefurther transport of the created stack.

[0008] A transport system for feeding the packages to the fillingposition, for example in the form of a conveyor belt or a slide, is usedto move filled bags, for example, from a tubular bagging machine to thefilling position. A transport device for removing of the packages awayfrom the crank position and being suited for the stack delivery is usedas a rule for a transport of a stack in an outer packaging away from thedevice, for example, toward a pallet.

[0009] When the second motor rotates, through a drive means, the packagereceiver relative to the crank arm, then the motor can be arrangedoutside of the pivoting range of the crank arm and is, even after theexchange of a smaller package receiver with a larger package receiver,not arranged as a hindrance in the pivoting range of the crank arm.

[0010] The packaging performance of the inventive device is doubled whentwo inventive devices are arranged side-by-side with their first axesbeing coaxial, and these two devices are alternately positionable withtheir package receiver in the filling position and in the crankposition. Thus while the one device is being loaded, the other device isbeing emptied, and vice versa.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter inconnection with exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, inwhich:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of a device for feeding a package receiver,whereby the device has a crank arm rotatable about a circular path,which crank arm is rotatably driven by a first motor, which is arrangedon the axis of rotation of the crank arm, and whereby a second motor isprovided for the purpose of pivoting the package receiver relative tothe crank arm (when in the broken line position);

[0013]FIG. 2 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a side view of two devices operating in accordance withthe concept of FIG. 1, which devices are arranged one after the otherand are to be fed alternately, whereby bags delivered by a conveyor beltare moved laterally into the package receivers;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 3;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a side view of two devices operating analogously to FIG.3, however, with a handling device for inserting of the bags from aboveinto a box housed in the package receiver; and

[0017]FIG. 6 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] A device 1 consists of a crank arm 3 which, driven by a motor 4,is supported rotatably about an axis 8 and has at its distal end, apackage receiver 5. This receiver 5 is rotatably supported about theaxis 6 independent of the rotation of the crank arm 3. The receiver ismovably driven for movement about the axis 6 by a separate motor 7. Thisindependence of the movements is created by the transfer of the drivingmotion by means of a gear ratio of 1:1 from the axis 8 onto the axes 6on the crank arm 3. This is achieved by a driving means 9, such as anendless toothed belt operatively coupled to toothed pulley wheels, inthe illustrated exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the crank armposition 10, in which the package receiver 5 delivers a bundle ofpackages or a filled box and receives an empty box, the package receiver5 is aligned in an upwardly open direction as illustrated by theupwardly opening fill opening 13. The receiver 5 is thereafter movedinto the filling position 12 by rotation of the crank arm 3 to thebroken line position in FIG. 1. When the motor 7 does not carry out amovement during this time, then the package receiver 5 maintains itsorientation with respect to the frame (see also FIGS. 5 and 6), whichmeans that the fill opening 13 remains upwardly opening, the packagereceiver 5 is moved with its base remaining parallel to a straighthorizontal line relative to the frame 11 but on a circular path 14. Thepackage receiver 5 can now in the filling position 12 be filled fromabove with packages 15 which are supplied via a transport system 19. Thefilling from above can be done, for example, with the help of a handlingdevice 16 (see FIG. 5). When the crank arm 13 is now moved farther, thenthe receiver 5 moves again into the crank position 10 to remove bundlesof packages 22 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) or the filled box 21 by means of atransport device 18 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) and to receive an empty box 20thereat by means of a transport device 17 (see also FIG. 6).

[0019] When the receiver 5 when in the filling position 12 is to befilled laterally with the packages 15 (FIGS. 3 and 4), then the motor 7initiates a movement during the transport of the package receiver 5 fromthe crank position 10 to the filling position 12 so that the packagereceiver 5 is pivoted relative to the frame 11. Thus the packagereceiver 5 can be filled laterally with the packages 15. The lateralfilling can occur directly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, namely thepackages 15 travel via the transport system 19 directly into the packagereceiver 5, or they can be placed into the package receiver 5, forexample, with an intermediate handling device. The motor 7 now initiatesa movement on the further path from the filling position 12 to the crankposition 10 so that the package receiver 5 is again pivoted into theoriginal orientation, namely with its opening in the upwardly openingdirection.

[0020] The device is advantageously designed as separate duplicativedevices (see device 1 and device 2 in FIG. 4) so that a package receiver5 of one device 1 can in the filling position 12 be filled with packages15 and at the same time the package receiver 5 of the other device 2 canin the position 10 remove the bundle of packages 22 or the filled box21, and can receive a new box 20 as depicted in FIG. 6.

[0021] The great advantage of this device 1 is the high degree offlexibility regarding the orientation of the system for effecting afilling of the packages 15 into the package receiver 5, that is, thepackages can be introduced into the receiver 5 selectively from above orlaterally, with a simultaneously very simple design of the device 1, 2.For example, it is possible to feed packages 15, which arriveexclusively in a lying position, both upright and also lying into thepackage receiver 5 since the packages 15 are indeed fed into the packagereceiver 5 in a lying position, however, by pivoting of the packagereceiver 5, they can be moved into the receiver in an uprightorientation.

[0022] The use of two devices 1, 2 of this type in a packaging lineenables a high performance characteristic for the feeding of thepackages 15 into the receiver 5 since waiting times (or delays) aresignificantly reduced in this manner.

[0023] Both a motorized drive and also a pneumatic cylinder can beutilized for the pivoting of the package receiver 5 about the axis 6, sothat in the latter case a yet less expensive embodiment is possible. Allof this is to be understood by the term “motor”.

[0024] The use of a handling device 16 for filling of the packagereceiver 5 enables in addition the enhancement of the flexibility ofthese systems.

[0025] Depending on which set up is employed, it is possible to fill thepackages 15 into a cassette (FIGS. 3 and 4) in order to be able tofurther process them as a bundle 22, for example, in order to ready themfor delivery to a package or bundle wrapping machine. It is alsopossible to feed the packages 15 directly into a box 20 or any othercontainer (FIGS. 5 and 6). In spite of these many set up possibilities,the embodiments hardly differ, so that they may even be combined asdesired with one another, or may all be realized in one system. LIST OFREFERENCE NUMERALS  1, 2 Device for feeding  3 crank arm  4 motor  5package receiver  6 axis  7 motor  8 axis  9 drive means 10 crankposition 11 frame 12 filling position 13 fill opening 14 circular path15 package 16 handling device 17, 18 transport device 19 transportsystem 20 box, empty 21 box, filled 22 bundle

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for feeding a package receiver,comprising a crank arm pivotal or rotatable about a first axis by meansof a first motor, whereby a second axis is provided at the distal end ofthe crank arm whereat the second axis supports the package receiver forpivotal or rotatable movement, a second motor is provided forselectively effecting a pivoting or rotating of the package receiverrelative to the crank arm, the first and second motors being separatelycontrolled.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device isprovided as a transport device from a filling position whereat thepackage receiver is filled, to a crank position whereat the packagereceiver is emptied.
 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein atransport device is provided for transporting the packages away from thecrank position.
 4. The device according to claim 2, wherein a transportsystem is provided to feed packages to the filling position.
 5. Thedevice according to claim 4, wherein a transport device is provided fortransporting the packages away from the crank position.
 6. The deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the second motor is configured to rotatethe package receiver relative to the crank arm through a drive means. 7.The device according to claim 2, wherein two devices are providedside-by-side, the first axes of which are coaxially positioned, andwherein the devices with their respective package receiver arealternately positioned in the filling position and in the crankposition.